For a man often considered one of the U.S. Senate’s most liberal members, Barack Obama has taken some surprisingly conservative stands recently.

Obama agreed with a July 3 Supreme Court decision striking down a handgun ban as unconstitutional, and said he supported the death penalty for convicted child rapists. He also said he will vote for one of President George W. Bush’s key legislative priorities, a bill granting immunity to telecommunications companies that aided federal domestic surveillance efforts.

Predictably, his opponents charge the candidate with “flip-flopping.” But Obama’s supporters are also divided on whether his apparent courting of political moderates is the sign of a strong candidate heading into a tough election—or waffling that could lose votes.

Columnist Arianna Huffington says such moves toward moderation were “a recipe for disaster and loss” for John Kerry in 2004, and for Hillary Clinton in this year’s primaries. But a former Clinton supporter sees such strategies as necessary to win the presidency and expressed support for Obama’s recent shifts. “I’m pleased that he’s reassessing his position,” she told the Middle East News. “It’s a tough world out there. This is not a game for wimps.”

Meanwhile, some observers see John McCain also moving toward the center in a similar effort to broaden his appeal.

Critics, including the McCain campaign, have disparaged Obama’s apparent move to the center on issues such as a Supreme Court ruling on the the death penalty as a reversal of policy. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., called Obama’s gun control statement “incredible flip-flopping,” but Cass Sunstein, a top legal adviser to Obama, says both cases are consistent with his previous positions and that Obama is “not easily characterized” on social issues, citing the Senator’s support for allowing government use of the Ten Commandments in public as another example of his unpredictability on such issues.

Obama’s apparent move away from the left has left some supporters feeling neglected and has sparked the organization of the largest interest group on the official Obama site, opposing his support of a bill that would allow immunity to telecom companies that aided in government surveillance efforts.

Obama’s hometown Chicago Tribune sees his move toward the center as an effort to attract impendent and undecided voters, citing his moderate approach to recent Supreme Court ruling on handguns and the death penalty as it applies to child rape.

Some commentators have pointed to Obama’s concerted outreach to evangelical voters as another move toward the center. The Obama campaign has launched the Joshua Project to reach out to religious voters, especially centrist evangelicals and Catholics.

One of the most prominent issues supporters have protested is Obama’s stance on the authorization of a program that allowed warrantless wire-tapping on the part of the U.S. government—an effort championed by the Bush administration. Many Democrats have felt that their party leadership did not properly fight against the program, straying from earlier promises to not allow immunity for telecom companies that had aided in the earlier efforts.

Democratic advocate and blogger Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos announced that, due to Obama’s shift on the FISA bill, he would hold back his contribution of $2,300, sparking discussion on his community Web site about supporting the Democratic candidate.

Commentator Arianna Huffington sharply criticized Obama for what she sees as a move to the center for the general election against McCain, suggesting it will cause him to lose the election. She points to similar shifts by John Kerry in 2004 and Hillary Clinton in this year’s Democratic primary.

Mike Cottle of The New Republic applauds Obama’s move away from “net-roots” members of the Democratic Party, such as bloggers Markos Moulitsas and Arianna Huffington. While necessary during the primary season, Cottle sees no reason for Obama to pay attention to these critics in the general election.

Referring to them as the “Mushy Middle,” MSNBC argues that both candidates have shifted toward the center to attract the large number of undecided and independent voters—a necessary part of a national election.

An article on MonstersandCritics.com sees Obama and McCain’s apparent political shifts as “representing the typical movement-to-center after the primary election campaigns, when [candidates] pitch extreme conservative or liberal messages to committed supporters to secure their party’s support.” One Maryland Democrat who staunchly supported Hillary Clinton in the primary said, on condition of anonymity, “I’m pleased that he’s reasessing his position. … It’s a tough world out there. This is not a game for wimps. He’s demonstrating that he can be hard-nosed.”

Talking Points Memo has assembled a timeline of Obama’s shift away from saying he would not vote for the so-called FISA bill if it included immunity for telecom companies, to his current position of supporting the legislation as-is. The vote has become the centerpiece of supporter discontent in recent weeks.

In a historical look at the political shifts and often dubious strategies taken by U.S. presidential candidates, U.S. News offers a look at presidential campaign moments that have made a difference in shaping history. Dozens of topics include a “Down and Dirty” section highlighting a fake letter that swayed a campaign in the 1800s, mudslinging by an opponent of Thomas Jefferson, and the “Swift Boat” ad campaign against John Kerry. The site’s “The End is Near” section offers a glimpse of campaign misfires, including Michael Dukakis' “photo op” perched atop a U.S. army tank.